The Dodge Charger Scat Pack 392 has a tremendous dollar per horse power ratio. You get 485 horsepower for $42,680. That works out to roughly $88 per horsepower.

On a car with 500 plus horsepower and a six figure sticker, the ratio was $192 per horsepower. The Charger Scat Pack might be the best deal around when it comes to the horsepower per dollar scale for cars with 400 plus ponies under the hood.

What’s even better is that the Charger Scat Pack is a sleek, four-door full-blown sedan. In other words, it is capable of carrying four people comfortably – friends, girlfriends, their friends, whoever.

The car has 475 pound feet of torque, which it delivers at a respectable 4,200 rpm. The Scat Pack’s engine is a normally aspirated 6.4-liter V8 with sequential multiport fuel injection and a fuel saver mode. Four cylinders shut off when not needed.

When Dodge brought the Challenger back to life a few years back, the passion for this car was very high. Now with a refresh for the 2015 model year, there is even more to cheer about with the 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Plus. We drove this beast for a week, and even though the Ohio weather wasn’t the best, we still had a great time behind the wheel.

EXTERIOR

Inspired by the iconic 1971 Challenger, all 2015 models take on a bold new appearance that draws on the 1971 model’s split-grille and split-tail lamp cues, updated to 2015 with four signature LED headlamp halo surrounds offset by piano black trim. Single projector-beam headlamps at each front corner light the road ahead. High-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps are also available.

In profile, the 2015 Challenger’s signature muscle car proportions and large thruster rear-quarter panels stand out from the crowd, while fender and belt lines tie together at the front and rear of the car to create a sleeker appearance. Nine wheel designs are available, including an all-new forged aluminum lightweight 20-by-9-inch wheel design finished in Hyper Black II, which provides a unique anodized metallic look with a flush body-side appearance. Meatier, high-performance three-season rubber is available on the Challenger R/T Scat Pack and 392 HEMI Scat Pack Shaker models. The 20-inch hyper black aluminum wheels on our test model were conversation-starters alone. This car is hot!

A new, split tail-lamp design continues the historic 1971 model’s inspiration. For a modern look, the Dodge brand’s signature LED treatment creates a single ribbon of light within each lamp. A redesigned rear valance provides the 2015 Challenger with a widened, more planted appearance, while fascia-mounted exhaust tips (with the Pentastar V-6 engine) provide a high-performance finished look.

Heritage and high-impact exterior colors range from B5 Blue and Sublime Green to TorRed. Seven different stripe options give Challenger drivers the ability to get instant customization straight from the factory.

INTERIOR

Inside the 2015 Dodge Challenger is an all-new enthusiast-designed cockpit featuring world-class materials, execution and technology, also inspired by the interior of the 1971 Challenger. To highlight the muscle car’s performance abilities, the 2015 Dodge Challenger is designed with a performance cockpit that embodies the trapezoidal-themed exterior in an artistic and more organically styled way.

The Dodge Challenger’s new cleanly executed instrument panel features an aluminum-stamped driver’s bezel that establishes the driver’s cockpit. For a high-tech look, an innovative 7-inch TFT instrument cluster screen extends through the driver’s bezel and provides a customizable display. The gauge cluster features an analog speedometer and tachometer that straddle the TFT customizable instrument cluster and provide a heritage-inspired “tic-toc-tach” look with throwback radial numbering and concave shape. Additionally, the center stack neatly houses the new 5-inch and segment’s largest available 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreens.

The performance sedan has returned to Chevrolet with the introduction of the all-new Chevrolet SS. This badass, rear-wheel drive sedan features a 6.2L V-8 engine rated at SAE-certified 415 horsepower and 415 lb.-ft. of torque with paddle-shift six-speed automatic transmission and joins the new Corvette and Camaro in Chevy’s impressive performance lineup. The SS was designed and built in Australia by the team responsible for the Commodore and benefits from the global rear-wheel drive architecture that is the foundation for Holden’s VF Commodore, the Camaro and the Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle. I had the opportunity to drive the new SS on some great roads around Palm Springs and I enjoyed pushing it to the limit.

Performance

I love sedans with power so I immediately felt comfortable in the SS. The sedan is big and powerful but also impressively nimble as well. It performed as expected on straightaways with the kind of responsiveness and acceleration that will bring a smile to your face. But it also handled the mountain curves with ease as well. It marries the power of traditional muscle cars with the handling one expects from modern vehicles. The SS is fun to drive and you’ll love the sound of this vehicle as well.

The 6.2L LS3 small-block V-8 is paired with the Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic with paddle-shift control. I was pleased to see the sport mode feature which is a necessary element in modern performance cars. It’s easy to slide into sport mode with the shifter on the floor and then drivers can also use paddle shifters or the floor shifter to manually control the gears. Some purists will lament the absence of a true manual option, and GM would not comment on future options, but there’s plenty here for performance enthusiasts to like.

The sport-tuned suspension gives you great handling when needed along with a very comfortable ride. The front suspension is a MacPherson-strut-based multi-link system with a direct-acting stabilizer bar, featuring a forward-mounted steering rack and dual lower links with individual ball joints at the outer ends. The rear suspension is a multi-link independent system with coil-over shock absorbers and decoupled stabilizer bar.

Exterior

The muscular but clean design of the SS perfectly matches the performance characteristics. The SS is sporty but also understated in its design without any unnecessary flair thrown in. I like the front grille and also the dual-exhaust tips in the rear. I also like the styling of the rims, but I would have preferred an aluminum option as opposed to the shiny chrome rims.

Interior

The interior design is luxurious but also understated in a manner that evokes a sports car interior. I liked the horizontal dashboard and the prominent use of the SS logo and the controls are laid out in a logical manner. The clean, functional approach trumps any urge to push the design envelope which works well with the exterior design and performance car attributes. The interior only comes in black and the sunroof is the only option available. That shouldn’t be a problem as everything you would want is standard, including leather, eight-way power adjustable front bucket seats, in-dashboard touch screen that supports Chevrolet MyLink, navigation system, SiriusXM radio, Bose 220-watt, nine-speaker premium sound system, six months of OnStar and much more.

Overview

The SS is exactly the type of performance car we should expect from Chevrolet. This is Chevrolet’s first V-8, rear-wheel-drive performance sedan since 1996 and signals that the brand is heading in the right direction. The overall package from performance to design works beautifully and Chevrolet should have a hit on its hands with the SS. Priced at around $45,000 this car offers an impressive amount of performance and luxury for the money. Guys in particular will be drawn to this car, and if you’re into performance sedans you have to put the SS on your test drive list.